


Four Rings for the Elven-Kings

by Jenny_Islander



Series: Lord of the Rings Stories I'm Not Writing [2]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26727031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenny_Islander/pseuds/Jenny_Islander
Summary: What if four to portray the classical Western elements, not three to parallel the Silmarils?
Series: Lord of the Rings Stories I'm Not Writing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943518
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Four Rings for the Elven-Kings

I have never seen this in a fic (and if you have please let me know in the comments!) but it makes a kind of sense.

So. Celebrimbor made three Elven-rings in parallel to the Silmarils, each expressing one of the elements that was involved in the fate of those gems. The three rings are Vilya = air (Earendil carries one Silmaril high in the sky), Narya = fire (Maedhros leaped into a lava pit with the second Silmaril), and Nenya = water (Maglor yeeted the third into the ocean). Very poetic, and also perhaps an attempt by Celebrimbor to work on some family trauma. But--what if instead he had chosen to make four, as a symbol of the intention of their Elven bearers to prevent the elements of Arda from becoming subject to the passage of time? (Example: Galadriel using her Ring to keep Lothlorien from withering.) It would still fit. I think Tolkien was aware of the Western symbolism of numbers when he wrote LOTR, and while three is a number of stability, so is four.

The fourth Elven-ring, then, would be Kemenya or Cemenya, and to complete the pattern it would probably be of mithril, set with a hard, brilliant yellow stone such as a topaz. Besides preserving whatever the ringbearer held dear, what might its powers be? They need not be those of earth as an element: note that Yavanna is called Kementári, Queen of Earth, and she is the ruler of all that grows from the earth, including, to some extent, animals. Also, Radagast was one of her followers originally.

Who was Cemenya originally made for, and who is wearing it during Frodo's quest? If you would like to write about this, feel free. Or, as we Internet Olds say, plot bunny, free to good home.


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